Ten Jewish students have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Cooper Union, alleging that the school failed to protect them and their classmates from antisemitism. The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, cites a specific incident on October 25, 2023, in which the students feared for their lives while locked in the campus library as pro-Palestinian protesters marched nearby.

According to the lawsuit, Cooper Union has failed to adequately protect Jewish students on campus from bigotry following Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7, resulting in the slaughter of 1,200 Israelis and foreigners. The plaintiffs claim that the school has taken no disciplinary action against the offending perpetrators and has sought to downplay the library incident.

Brooke Goldstein, founder of The Lawfare Project, which is representing the plaintiffs, stated, “Cooper Union has failed to adequately protect not just our clients but other Jewish students on campus in the face of pro-Hamas hate…No student should be subjected to intimidation, fear or hatred when pursuing an education.”

The lawsuit claims that Cooper Union’s negligence violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, state and city civil rights laws, and other government laws, and amounts to a breach of contract with students and negligence.

The plaintiffs include students Rebecca Gartenberg, Perie Hoffman, Jacob Khalili, Gabriel Kret, Benjamin Meiner, Michelle Meiner, Meghan Notkin, Gila Rosenzweig, and Anna Weisman.

This case is the latest in a series of lawsuits filed by The Lawfare Project against universities, including Carnegie Mellon and Columbia, for allegedly failing to shield Jewish students from bigotry.

The case is expected to proceed in federal court, with a hearing scheduled for later this month.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)